Bergevin and Therrien love jerking Subban around for some reason and I donít quite understand it.

If itís true that Subban is asking around $8.5 million AAV long-term, and Iím not completely convinced that it is, then itís a no-brainer. You sign him. Do I think heís ďworthĒ it in the sense that heís the best defenseman in the NHL and his contract should reflect that? No. But heís a clear game-changer on the blue line in an evolving cap environment. You donít offer Moen and Prust overgenerous, inflexible four-year contracts and then nickel and dime your star player.

As far as I can tell, they donít have many options. They can keep him for two more years and then watch him leave as an unrestricted free agent. They can trade him and likely receive pennies on the dollar in return. Or they can pay him more than they want short-term, but keep one of their franchise cornerstones long-term with a contract that will only get friendlier.

Instead, Bergevin submitted $5.250 million as an arbitration number, which is $500K less than the contract he recently signed Markov to, and minimized the prospect of hurt feelings. I donít see why he didnít just submit $6.5 million or $7 million, simply say Subban is one of the best young, right-handed defensemen at the hearing, and then hammer out an extension.

Something along the lines of:

2014-2015: $7 million
2015-2016: $7 million
2016-2017: $9-10 million
2017-2018: $9-10 million
2018-2019: $9-10 million
2019-2020: $9-10 million
2020-2021: $9-10 million
2021-2022: $9-10 million

Thatís a $68-74 million, 8-year contract. Between $8.5 million and $9.250 million AAV. Give him a no-movement clause if itís needed. Just donít see the upside of dragging these negotiations on.

Well Subban got sorted. As for Johansen, that situation really got blown up publicly. You see the risk of the bridge, you can kind of understand it with just one big year off a rookie contract, but with an obvious talent like that you have to think it could just be best to give him a contract in the vein of Tavares/Skinner, which is actually quite close to what they just gave Dubinsky. It might just be Jarmo's MO, seems like he was giving away a few 2-year deals that end with RFA status to a handful of depth guys this summer. That would line up those more borderline players along with Jenner, Murray, and potentially Johansen as RFA in two years.

Well Subban got sorted. As for Johansen, that situation really got blown up publicly. You see the risk of the bridge, you can kind of understand it with just one big year off a rookie contract, but with an obvious talent like that you have to think it could just be best to give him a contract in the vein of Tavares/Skinner, which is actually quite close to what they just gave Dubinsky. It might just be Jarmo's MO, seems like he was giving away a few 2-year deals that end with RFA status to a handful of depth guys this summer. That would line up those more borderline players along with Jenner, Murray, and potentially Johansen as RFA in two years.

Yeah, it does seem like itís how Davidson and Jarmo want to conduct their business. Like you said, I can understand the allure of a bridge deal for Johansen. Heís always been a big, talented kid with two-way upside, but hasnít consistently demonstrated the attitude or game-to-game application. Itís easy to forget he was a healthy scratch in the AHL playoffs last year in Springfield. Naturally, itís unnerving when a player with suspect motivation finally engages himself in a contract year. Then weíve got the Twitter comments about the second-line center getting a lucrative extension, the reported $3 million gap in negotiations, etc. Itís certainly got a lot of contentious potential.

That said, Johansen is the most important, unique skater in Columbusí top six. As much as I love gritty players like Dubinsky, Jenner, and Foligno, theyíre not overly dynamic talents. Johansen owns a legitimate two hundred foot skill set. Even though the Blue Jackets are trying to build a deep, relentless forward group thatís greater than the sum of its parts, that special centerpiece is obviously coveted.

Iím guessing the Blue Jackets dug in around the $4 million mark and Johansen and his agent want $7 million. It seems like a bridge is the likeliest outcome at this point. Iím not convinced it alleviates any long-term headache concerns though. If theyíre real, and youíre seriously worried about his maturity as a 21-year old, then whatís next if heís motivated and performs? Youíve got little leverage and heíll still be a 23-year old kid. Thereís no guarantee he will mature in that time. Except that third contract is going to be a massive, long-term deal given the rising cap and could even include a no-trade clause that limits future movability, so the stakes to make a correct decision at this juncture are high.

Going to be strange having someone other than Corsi coaching goalies, but I can't help but get a little giddy at the thought of Irbe and his bland equipment. Latvia takeover.

Speaking of Buffaloís Latvian takeover, how is Zemgus developing? Admittedly, I can't say I've seen too much of the Sabres, or any of the WHL, but I found myself liking the idea of a Reinhart-Girgensons one-two punch during the draft.

He seems to be developing pretty well. As much as I originally wanted him to play some NCAA he finished his AHL season pretty strong and was a solid presence all over the ice last year. The offensive talent has become more noticeable as time goes on. Take any sampling of Sabres fans and I'm guessing 90% say he's their favorite player, somebody who a lot want to see as captain in the future. I just don't want the expectations to get too crazy for him. He'll be solid, but some people are expecting him to be a Landeskog to Reinhart's MacKinnon and I just don't think his ceiling is quite that high. Maybe they know it's a poor man's comparison and I'm just not giving them credit because hockey fans are stupid, but whatever. He's played a lot of wing in his pro career, I'd say the expectation is for him to be in the middle but that could be a pretty fluid situation.

There are entirely too many national stories about Kane playing rec league.

Anyway, I'll be interested to see what happens with Kevin Hayes not looking likely to sign with Chicago. Speaking of Kane, Chicago has only gotten 31 games from all of their first round picks since Kane, having at least one in each draft. Beach, Olson, and now Hayes will all no longer be in their system, all for various reasons. Not that they're hurting from any of this.

Some rumors Rangers will go after Hayes if he doesn't sign by Sat. We have the same issue as the Blackhawks getting next to nothing from first round picks lately. Hopefully Kreider (already has a bit) can change that.

Yeah, Boston and New York always seem like popular destinations for college free agents.

Kreider is very good, Miller can still be good. Hated the McIlrath pick. Del Zotto's career kind of fell off a cliff. Skjei has promise. Haven't really had any high picks, lately, but you wouldn't be expecting much from those guys even if they did. A pretty typical haul for a team that's never really picking high in the draft.

Kreider and Hagelin both look like they will be 2nd-3rd liners at the very least and I have faith in both of them to turn into quality contributors. One of McIlrath and Allen will pan out, and Miller has flashed when healthy. In all honesty, this team has 3, maybe 4 years left to win a Cup with Henrik. That's why they signed a guy like Danny Boyle and traded Cally for Marty, they're in win now mode. If Hank doesn't get a ring by the end of his career the Rangers organization failed him miserably.

Nashville actually has ~13 NHL forwards, for once. They're just super underwhelming and on inconsiderable contracts. I'd like for them to add any offensive talent. Not that Hayes needs a regular NHL spot right now, but I'm guessing it's something he's looking for in this process, especially if the team is Nashville.

The idea of a big contract for MacArthur still comes off as slightly odd to me, but he's gotten better since leaving here quite a while ago. The aav reflects his productivity, good for him, though I wouldn't say he's really anything special as a top-6 player. Fine player to have, though.

Ottawa on the whole, tough to imagine them being much better this year. Swap out Spezza (and a bit of Hemsky) for Legwand and Chiasson. Add in whatever Swede-like improvement you get from Zibanejad and Lehner, maybe some Mark Stone? Nothing will surprise me in the body of the East, but it's not the most inspiring group.

Turris and Wheeler bitched their way out of Phoenix, which doesn't exactly help their reputation. Hanzal is okay for mid-1st. Tikhonov's North American career all happened pretty fast. Mueller was always injured and inconsistent, a shame because he showed talent in both Phoenix and Colorado. We seem to just now be getting to the point of seeing whether their defensive investments will pay off. Krys Kolanos for life. Also pretty sure Kirill Safronov was always my lowest rated player in some NHL game.